Electrical attachment device



May 29,Y 192s. 1,671,640

W. F. HENDRY ELECTRI CAL ATTACHMENT DEVICE Filed Jan. 7, 1924 PatentedMay 29, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM F. HENDRY, OF OSSINING, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO MANHATTAN ELEC-TRICAL SUPPLY COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATIONOF MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRICAL ATTACHMENT lDEVICE.

appncaaun med January 7, 1924. serial no. 684,785.

This invention relates to improvements in electrical attachment devices,and more particularly to an improvedbase for attachment plugs.

The object of this invention is the provision of a base for attachmentplugs which is of simple and sturdy; constructiomwhich may be readilyassembledwithout the necessity of using screws or rivets, without thenecessity of soldering joints therein, and which is iirmly held in itsassembled condition without danger of the contact-making elementsbecoming loosened.

With this object in view, the` present ini vention. contemplates theprovision of a single means for holding together the base including `acontactl shell and two contact springs. The single means :consists of awire of suitable sizey which serves as a clamp for the whole structure.4This is ac-` complished by knotting, bending, or otherwise renderingone end of the wire too large for being ulled out of a recessed portionof an` insu ating body. The other end, of the wire is spiralled into acontact-makmg surface and acts `also as thejother Jaw of the clamp. r y

Obviously., the invention is capable of various embodiments and aplications vwithout departing fromv the spirit thereof, and

. the present specication is merel a detailed description of a preferredvem odiment.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a side elevationv of the base;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section of the base and a side elevation of acooperating Ca y gig. 3 is a view ofone'end of the base; Fig. 4 is aview of the other end of the base;

Fig. 5 illustrates the wire serving as a clamp for the base assembly;and

Fig. 6 is a vertical cross section along lines 6-6 of Fig. 3. U

1 is a body of insulating material provided with a knurled projectingrim 2 lby means of which it may be grasped, and with three longitudinalpassageways 3, 4, 5 pro jecting therethrough. The passageways 3 and 5are large enough to receive contacts 6 and 7, respectively, of the cap8, adapted to engage resilient contact springs 9 and .10 provided withinsaid passageways. A. disc ot insulating material 1l is provided on topot the body 1. The disc is perforated at 12 and 13, said pertorationsregistering with the passageways t and 5, respectively. The

body 1. The upper end of the contact `spring 9 is turned down intocontact `with the flange 15 of the shell 14 and is held in that positionby the disc 11y bearing against it. The upper end of the contact spring10 projects through the: perforation 13 in the disc 11 and` its end isturned at substantiall 90", terminating in an ear 16 through which aresilient wire 17 `may project. y

y Normall the wire 17 1s in the condition shown in ull lines in Fig. 5,that is to say, in the form of a straight rod havingits end piralledinto a springvof a few convoluions.

The base is assembled` by placing thecon i tact shell 14 over the` endof the body 1, then .inserting the contact spring 9, then positioningthe disc. 11 through the openlng 13 `of whichthe spring 10 lsinsertedintou tools the loWer or free end of the wire is bent upinto a half loo18 against` a recessed portion 19" of tie passageway ,4,

whereby it can no more be pulled out through the passageway 4. Insteadof bend ing up the wire 17 in thel manner herein illustrated, it may beotherwise spread out or knotted to prevent* its withdrawal. `The otherend of thewire is flattened out into a spiral 20, all the convolutionsof which are in one plane. All the elements of the base will be rigidlyheld within the clamp formed by the wire 17, which clamp is relativelyresilient and resists shaking and other strains better than screws orrivets. The end 20 of the wire serves to make contact with alamp socketor the like. If a light gauge wire is used for this pur ose and it 1sesired further to remove t e contactmaking surface 20 from .the shell 14without increasing the width of disc 11, an additional small disc may beinserted just below a spiral 20. The curling of the upper end of wire 17may be accomplished as a single operation during the assembly of theshell.

It will be seen, therefore, that the continuous piece of wire 17constitutes a single unitary clamp by means of which the elements of thebase are held in a mechanically and electrically assembled condition,andthe use of screws. rivets, soldering, etc., is obviated. The wire 1Tmay be produced f. in large quantities by means of automatic machinery,and the absenceof screws, nuts, rivets and the like in the assembly willmaterially speed up the assembly of the device,

' What I claim is:

1. An electrical attachment device comprising a body of insulatingmaterial, two contact springs, and a contact-marking surface; and aresilient clamp for holding all 'of said elements in a mechanically andelectrically assembled condition.

2. An electrical attachment device comprising a body Vof insulatingmaterial, two contact springs and a Contact making surface; and a wirepassing through said body and bent at its two ends to constitute aresilient clamp for all of said elements and also to constitute a secondcontact making surface.

3. An electrical attachment plug comprisfr an insulating body havingthree longipartially surrounding said body, a disc of insulatingmaterial, two perforations'in said disc registering with two of saidpassages, a .wire projecting through one of 'said passages and thecorresponding perforation in the disc, having one of its ends heldagainst removal from said passage and the other end bent toV clamp saiddisc, contact springs `in the two other passages, the end of one of saidsprings being clamped against said contact making' surface by said disc,and the end of the other spring projecting through the other perforationof said disc and being clamped to the latter by the bent end of saidwire.

4. An electrical attachment plug, an insulating body having threelongitudinal passages, a contact shell partially surrounding said bodyand provided with a flange bearing against the end thereof, a disc ofinsulating material positioned on to of said fiange, two perforations insaid isc registering with two of said passages, a wire projectingthrough one of said passages and the corresponding perforation in thedisc, having one of its ends held to prevent its removal from thepassage and the other end curled againstthe top of said disc, contactsprings in the two other passages, the end of'one of said springs beingclamped between the body, the shell and the disc, and the end of theother spring projecting through the other perforation of said disc andbeing clamped to the latter by the curled end of said wire.

5. An electrical attachment plug consisting of an insulating body havingthree longitudinal passages the central one of which is provided with anoffset portion, a screwthreaded contact shell partially surrounding saidbody and provided with a flange bearing against the end thereof, a discof insulating material of substantially the same diameter as said bodypositioned on top of said flange, two perforations in said discregistering with the central and one yof the other passages, aresilientwire projecting through the central passage andthe correspondingperforation in the disc, having one -of its ends bent against therecessed portion yto prevent its slipping and the other end pressed inspirals against the top of said discto form a contact-making surface,contactsprings in the two other passages, the end of one of said springsbeing clamped between the body, the shell and the disc, and the end, ofthe other spring projecting through the other perforation of said discand being clamped to the -latter'by the spiralled end of said wire.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 4th day ofJanuary, 1924.

WILLIAM F. HENDRY.

